Sunny Sunday!

I woke up (without the alarm) at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. I watched the news for a while and then finally shaved and showered. Next I did the Sunday morning chores.

It was only 30 degrees F. out, but sunny. It was supposed to get to 50 degrees by noon and top out at 56 degrees around 4:00 p.m.

So, I decided I’d work in the house until noon, then switch to the garage where I need to make a simple (but long) sofa table. And, if the weather holds, grill outside around 4 o’clock.

I swept all the floors in the house. I took a break when I remembered I wanted the potato salad dressing to have a chance to get happy in the fridge for a few hours.

Now, I wanted something different for this dressing. I started checking out Food Network, Cooking channel and so on. But, I came across this recipe from just a housewife, who claimed she’d been making it for 40 years and everybody loved it. It sounded just weird enough for me!

So, I combined 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 1/2 cup of sour cream. To that I added two teaspoons of yellow mustard, 1 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and one tablespoon of ketchup. She said 1/2 cup of diced onions were optional, but I passed (I’m putting green onions in the salad). Of course, I had to play around a little! So, I added a big pinch of frozen chives, a small pinch of dried thyme and a small pinch of dried parsley. I mixed it all well, taste-tested it and added sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Not bad!

I covered the bowl with cling wrap and stuck it in the fridge. Then I got back to housecleaning. I thoroughly cleaned both the stove and the microwave. This stove does not have drip trays, BTW. So, I have found that the stove top comes clean the easiest with those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

Then I washed the end of the vacuum cleaner wand (almost black now from sucking up soot) and got the rest of the blackened cobwebs out of the kitchen. In the last half hour of inside work, I got most (you never get all) of the cat hair off the couch, loveseat and lift chair.

At noon, I pulled the truck out of the garage and set up my work space. Now, the original photo Courtney showed me was of 6-foot long, 1 x 8 inch wide sofa table made with -three uprights (one at each end and one in the middle), one top and angle brackets. However, they have a couch much like Jake and Carla’s, so she needed one 123 inches long! I didn’t think that a 10-foot plus long board would be stable or not sag if built like the one she showed me.

So, I used a 1 x 4” underneath it to stiffen it and two inner support uprights. Of course, that meant I had to notch out the inner uprights, so I used a saber saw. On either end, I cut down leftover scraps (to accommodate the angle brackets), notched them as well and glued them in place. I used my brad nailer to attach them while they dried.

I used both drill motors (the corded one and the cordless one). I drilled 5/64-inch holes for each screw on the bracket with one drill and screwed in the screws with the other. That way I could keep moving and not have to change from the drill bit to the screwdriver bit over and over again.

I took a break at 3:00 p.m. to come inside and take out the steak and brats so they could come up to room temperature. I seasoned the steak with just salt and pepper on both sides and set it and the brats on the counter.

Then I went back out to finish the final thing: a 1 x 4” brace between each upright at the bottom to keep the damn thing square.

It’s supposed to rain the next two days, so I took the precaution of setting it on scrap wood, just in case water off the truck pools. I’ll let the glue dry overnight and then start sanding it. The good thing is she wants to stain it herself, so I don’t have to deal with that mess.

I went to fill in the few nail holes on the top or the ends, but found my stainable wood putty had dried out. Damn! That will set me back another day.

I swept out the garage, pulled the truck in and buttoned up the garage for the night.

Inside, I washed up and then began to assemble the potato salad.  I cut up the green onions, thin sliced most of the radishes and put in an equal amount of celery. I peeled the eggs (and for once they cooperated) and cut them in big chunks.

I warmed up the pre-cooked potatoes in the microwave. As Carla will tell you, warm potatoes take the dressing better. Then I added the dressing and folded it all together. I taste-tested it and added more sea salt and black pepper. Then I stuck it in the fridge to get happy.

I filled the charcoal chimney lighter, stuffed some newspapers under it and fired it up.

While the coals were getting hot, I checked my traps. Both were undisturbed. Hmmm…

Finally, it was ready. I dumped the coals, scrubbed the grate with a wire brush, oiled it and then threw on the steak and brats. Man, did that smell good!!!

When everything was ready, I took it all inside. I topped the steak with two pats of butter and let it rest.

I fixed a plate with a portion of the steak and my potato salad.

Both were delicious!!! And, I got to use my new steak knives!!!

I had everything cleaned up by the time the 6:00 p.m. news. I watched that until 7:00 p.m. when there was an Ann Curry special on about climate changes.

At 8:00, I switched to the TCM for Mogambo" a 1953 Clark Gable movie about a big game hunter in Africa. It was done at 10:00 p.m. and so was I, so I went to bed.